Silver Blade III: The End of an Era
by Emerald Tiara
Summary: Ah, finally we've reached the end...Lila Skywalker is back in the final part of the Silver Blade Trilogy. With a new romantic interest, the burden of the Force, and two siblings, can she focus on what really matters: the Rebellion?
1. No Privacy Whatsoever

**Okay, I lied. I said I wasn't gonna put up this until August. Well, in a desperate attempt to gain more reviews, I've put up this new one.**

**I think the mere fact that it's a series of stories, a trilogy, is what's losing peoples' interest. When they see the second or third one, theyre like 'oh, I don't want to have to go back and read the first.' I would know: I'm guilty of it myself. **

**Well, all qualms aside, I do welcome thee to this, the final installment in the Silver Blade Trilogy. **

**And I would like to thank reviewer SwimAngel, who has been oh-so-faithful in following me up until now.**

_**Silver Blade III: The End of an Era**_

_Chapter 1: No Privacy Whatsoever_

"It's been six months without a single message, now _where is he_." Lunalila Kenobi Skywalker paced back and forth in front of Leia Organa Skywalker, her twin sister (although Leia didn't quite know that yet).

"I don't know, Lila," sighed Leia tiredly. "Not that I don't care about Lando, but I myself am more worried about Han."

Han had been frozen in carbon for the past six months. Lando had gone off to get information, and had not been heard from since.

Lila stopped, blushing madly. "I don't care about him. I don't. What makes you say that?" she asked quickly.

"Oh, nothing."

"Politicians," remarked Lila, looking at the ceiling. "Whenever they say it's nothing, it's always something. Spill. What do you know?"

Leia smiled secretively.

"Oh god, don't tell me you saw…" Lila began in horror. Leia smiled and nodded. She was referring to the kiss on the cheek Lila had given Lando before he left.

"Ooh, Lila's falling for the smuggler boy…isn't there some kind of law against Jedi falling in love?" asked Leia.

"Well, you're an exiled princess and you fell in love with a smuggler, anyway Lando isn't a smuggler anymore. And, uh….well, the rest of the Jedi Code is in shambles, so why even bother?" Lila said brightly.

"Whatever." Leia rolled her eyes. "Luke would kill you if he heard that." A little while ago, Luke had returned from Dagobah as a fully-fledged Jedi Knight. Lila had every intention of going; well, actually she didn't because she had totally mouthed off to Obi-Wan and told him to shut up. This, combined with Master Yoda not liking her, was reason enough for Lila to stay with the Rebellion. According to her, anyway.

"Well, Luke has a stick up his ass. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go ask Mon Mothma something." Lila ran off to go find the leader of the Rebels.

"Huh. Twenty credits says she's going to ask to come with me to Tatooine," said Leia to Luke, who had been hiding behind the wall.

"Do I really have a stick up my ass?" he wondered.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

Sure enough, half an hour later Leia and Lila were dressed up as bounty hunters and preparing to go hand over Chewbacca the Wookiee to Jabba the Hutt. The two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, were coning too because they had to deliver a 'message' from Luke.

"We all know you're only coming so you can see Lando," accused Leia.

"Yeah? You wanna make something out of it?" Lila fingered her lightsaber.

"Oh, Lila!" Luke came running up. "Uh, I have a couple of things to say." Lila rolled her eyes but gestured for him to continue.

"Okay, first: Lila, Ben says he doesn't blame you in the least and you are being scared for nothing. And Master Yoda says, he knows about you and Lando and that it's fine, because the Jedi once made the mistake of prohibiting love and look what happened. Oh, and you can stop being afraid of the Force now, nobody's going to yell at you."

Lila blushed and turned away. "That all?"

"Yes, oh and Master Yoda wants you to come next time."

"I thought you said that was all," she grumbled.

Luke laughed, said goodbye, and left. Leia hustled Lila into the ship and started up the engines.

Once safely in hyperspace, Lila relaxed and tentatively reached for the Force. It came rushing back like an old friend, and Lila realized that she had actually missed it.

"Well, what do you know," she mused. "Maybe I can stop being so paranoid now."

Leia snorted. "Like that's ever gonna happen."

**Uh….please review? And this time this really is the last one until August.**


	2. Back on Tatooine

**Hey guys…I lack inspiration. SO…I'm just gonna sit for a few minutes, try to think of something…stare into space…hmm.**

**Oh! Here we go.**

**No, wait, more staring is needed….god DAMMIT I need a muse…badly…**

**Disclaimer: Nuh-uh. I no own Star Wars. Well, I own the DVDs…**

_Chapter 2: Back on Tatooine_

Disguised as they were, and bringing with them one of Jabba's bounties, they were let into his palace without question. They were told to wait until Jabba was ready to see them, in a corner of the throne room.

"Did I mention how much I hate this place?" hissed Lila to Leia.

"Several times," murmured Leia. She watched Threepio sputter and complain as R2 played Luke's message, but her eyes constantly flickered to where Han was hanging on the wall n a block of carbonite. Lila gazed around the room.

"Dammit," Leia swore under her breath as Jabba refused the exchange of Han for the droids. They knew this was going to happen, that's why she and Lila and Lando were here, but it was still annoying to hear it.

"Artoo, look!" said Threepio. "Captain Solo. And he's still frozen in carbonite."

At this, both women had to fight very hard to resist the urge to make extremely rude hand gestures at the protocol droid and risk blowing their cover.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate that robot?" hissed Leia to Lila.

"Several times," murmured Lila, and was struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu.

Leia stepped forward and spoke in some obscure language Lila recognized as Ubese. Lila followed her, bringing Chewie. "I have come for the bounty on this Wookiee," Leia said.

Jabba laughed, sending chills down Lila's spine. "At last we have the mighty Chewbacca!" Threepio rushed forward to play translator.

"The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of 25,000."

Fighting back laughter, Lila said in Ubese, "50,000. No less." Jabba roared and knocked Threepio to the ground, shouting in Huttese.

"Uh…the mighty Jabba asks why he must pay 50,000."

Simultaneously, Leia and Lila held out a pair of small, silver balls. _Because if you don't we'll blow you all to Kingdom Come, _laughed Lila in her head.

"Because they're holding thermal detonators!" yelled Threepio.

There was a tense silence for a few moments as Jabba stared at the small bombs. Then he laughed and muttered something in Huttese, which roughly translated to 'these bounty hunters are my kind of scum, fearless and inventive.'

Threepio looked at them. "Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five. And I suggest you take it."

Leia waited for a moment, and then turned off the detonator. She stepped on Lila's foot, a hidden signal for _turn it off NOW._ Lila sighed and reluctantly turned it off. Leia spoke in Ubese.

"He agrees!" cried C-3PO. _Whoopdie-doo,_ thought Lila. The beings in the room cheered and some of them played music. Leia and Lila leaned against the wall as Chewie was taken away. Leia looked around, bored, and Lila got into a staring match with Boba Fett, both fingering their blasters.

The staring contest lasted for ten minutes until Leia elbowed Lila and they left the throne room to await nightfall.

"I really, really can't wait till we leave," said Lila, once they were safely in the desert. "Although," she said cheerfully as an afterthought, "I did notice his tail still had the hole in it."

Leia rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe you did that."

"Mark my words," said Lila darkly, "something's going to go wrong, and with our luck it's going to go wrong pretty badly."

"Pessimist," muttered Leia under her breath.

"Heard that."

That night, Leia and Lila snuck into the now-dark throne room. "This smell is actually making me gag," whispered Lila.

"Yes. We've heard," Leia retorted. She quickly crossed the room to Han's prone figure while Lila eyed the wall uneasily. Something was not right.

Leia flipped a switch. The block of carbonite lowered to the floor. She pressed a series of buttons and flipped another switch.

The block began to hum. The black carbonite now began to glow red, heating up, until it began to melt away. Han fell to the floor.

"You think he's dead?" stage-whispered Lila. Leia gave her the finger. "Relax, I'm just kidding. No, he's alive." With that, Han opened his eyes and began coughing.

"My point exactly" was Lila's smug reply to this.

"I can't see," commented Han.

"You have hibernation sickness. Your eyesight will return in time," intoned Leia.

"Where am I?"

"Jabba's palace."

"And who are you?"

"Someone who loves you, and her friend." Leia removed her helmet. Behind her back Lila pretended to shove her finger down her throat and gagged. Then she looked around.

"Oh, shit! Leia, move, move, move! No, wait, too late."

An inane laugh was heard. Han sat up. "I know that laugh."

"Yeah, I bet you do," said Lila sarcastically.

The wall was then revealed to not be a real wall, and slid back to show Jabba and a bunch of other aliens.

"Oh shit."

"You said that already," muttered Leia irritably.

**Well…it kind of sucked…but it's not my fault!**

**Draye: Uh…I don't know. I'm still undecided.**

**fictionfrek101: thanks! I'm really glad you liked it!**

**SwimAngel: yeah, it's kind of depressing. **

**Swpaintergal: well, I'm just evil that way, arent I?**

**So, my attempt to get more reviews failed miserably. No one reviewed over the summer. NO ONE. Look, people, I know you're reading this! 121 hits and only 4 reviews! If you're going to read it at all, please review…**

**I have to say, this is not one of my more popular stories.**


	3. Running Commentary

**Yah…so, here I am on the school computers trying to write this with half an hour until school's over. I have a free last period today :) Freaking Mondays.**

**Okay! Having successfully gained 1 review since august, I fell much better now NOT. Damn.**

**Disclaimer: roses are red, violets are blue (why are they called violets then?), me no own, and you no sue!**

**Or something along those lines.**

_Chapter 3: Running Commentary_

"You know, I never really got over you not being dead," stated Han.

"Han, you've had six months." Lila rolled her eyes.

Han scoffed. "Yeah, but I was brain dead. So technically I've only had about three days to contemplate."

"Or, you would have had three days to contemplate, if you had a brain," Lila reminded him.

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true!" Lila looked around. "Come on, Chewie, you know I'm right."

Chewbacca growled his disagreement.

"So anyway," said Han loudly, "not to change the subject or anything, but where is Leia and I thought you were with her?"

"Well," Lila sat down against the wall and resumed talking, "Leia is upstairs in the main throne room currently wearing a metal bikini. I was not pretty enough to be granted that privilege." She stuck out her tongue.

"Hmm, let's see, Lila in a bikini…" Han screwed up his face for a second, then shrugged. "Nope. Can't see it." Lila whacked him. "Oww! You know what, whatever. With you I don't even know. Bring me up to speed."

"Well! Leia's upstairs, Lando is also upstairs dressed as a guard, Luke's a supposed to come and rescue us—" Lila was cut off by Han's derisive snort.

"Luke's crazy! He can't even save himself, much less rescue anybody!"

Chewie barked.

"A Jedi Knight?!" Han's voice had reached such levels of disbelief it was almost painful to hear; Lila idly picked at her fingernails and waited for him to finish. "I'm out of it for a little while, and everybody gets…delusions of grandeur!"

"Oh, shut up, you've been out for six months," snapped Lila. "Anyway, Luke's already here. Take it up with him!"

"How do you know he's here?"

"You're forgetting something." Lila flashed a grin at Han. "I'm a Jedi too."

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

The long minutes passed, with Han and Chewbacca sitting quietly and Lila giving a running commentary on what Luke was doing. "And the floor just dropped out from under him and now he's fighting some weird monster…"

"Like I said," said Han, nodding, "he can't even save himself!"

"No…wait…he killed it."

"Luck," Han grumbled.

"Says you. Tell it to him when you seen him in about 20 seconds," retorted Lila. And sure enough, in 21 seconds they had been hauled up to the throne room by the guards (one of whom was Lando, to Lila's delight) and were now standing in from of Jabba with Luke.

Leia was in a metal bikini feeling very thankful Han's eyesight was on the blink just then. Lila was having a hard time fighting back laughter at Leia's face. Luke and Han were perhaps having the politest conversation they'd ever had.

Luke: "Han!"

Han: "Luke!"

Luke: "Are you all right?"

Han: "Fine. Together again, huh?"

Luke: "Wouldn't miss it."

Han: "How are we doing?"

Luke: "The same as always.

Han: "That bad, huh? Where's Leia?"

Leia: "I'm here."

Lila rolled her eyes. Threepio stepped forward to play interpreter. "His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately."

"Good, I hate long waits," muttered Han. Lila kicked him. "Hey!"

"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc," continued the droid.

Lila made a face. The Dune Sea? She HATED sand.

"Doesn't sound so bad," commented Han to Luke.

Threepio started again. "In his belly you will find a new definition of pain as you are digested over a thousand years."

"On second thought, let's pass on that one," Han suggested. Chewie barked in agreement.

"You should have bargained, Jabba. This is the last mistake you'll ever—oof!" Luke was elbowed out of the way by Lila.

"You're way too polite to be talking to Jabba," she informed him. She turned back to the giant slug-thing. "Don't try to kill us," she advised him. "It won't work."

Luke rolled _his_ eyes and muttered something under his breath; Lila strongly suspected it was a Huttese insult. Unfortunately she never got the chance to find out as at that moment they were taken away. Leia looked somewhat concerned (well, yeah) but Luke and Lila just smiled.

**Do I care that it's absurdly short? No. Because I have a life and I am a high schooler, and I also do not have QUITE as much free time as last year, because my parents have reinstated the old rule that I am only allowed on the computer after 7 pm. But it's Friday so I can get around that.**

**Don't you just love how in the beginning I bitched about it being Monday, but now I'm saying it's Friday? That would be a combination of little/no free time, procrastination, and other stories.**

**I would like to congratulate fictionfrek101 for giving me my first flame! Not ever, I mean, but on this trilogy.**

**Also, thank you fictionfrek101, for being the only reviewer. SwimAngel, where ARE you when I need you??**

**Well, gotta run, there's a pep rally! I'm only going cuz of the BONFIRE ooooooh!**


	4. Grab the Spear

**Yeah…..I did say I would update **_**eventually,**_** right? This is just a really hard time of year for me to update, I have midterms to study for, presents to make, and so on and so forth.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except Lila. And Eris, who is not in this chapter, so what do you care?**

_Chapter 4:__ Grab the Spear_

"You know, I think my eyesight's getting better…instead of a big dark blur I can see a big light blur," commented Han.

"Why is it so…_bright?_" muttered Lila. "Something's got to give. I'm going to spend a millennium being digested with a _sunburn."_

Luke glanced at her. "You're kidding me, right? You grew up here. You know perfectly well why it's so bright; we happen to be on a desert planet."

"True, true, I'm just saying…" said Lila under her breath.

"Don't worry, Han, there's nothing to see," Luke assured Han. "We grew up here, you know."

"You're going to die here, you know."

"Cheerful, aren't you," said Lila. "Luke's taken care of everything."

"Which just fills me with confidence, I'm sure."

The two floating ships stopped over a large crater in the sand from which many many tentacles were waving. Threepio's voice rang out from Jabba's ship.

"Victims of the almighty Sarlaac, His Excellency hopes that you will die honorably. But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas."

_How do you die honorably when you're getting thrown into something's mouth?_ Lila wondered.

Han stepped forward. "Threepio, you tell that slimy piece of... worm-ridden filth he'll get no such pleasure from us. Right?" Chewie barked.

"Jabba! This is your last chance! Free us or die," Luke yelled.

"And you expect that to work….why?" Lila asked him.

"It's always good to give him a last chance," Luke protested.

"Pacifist," snorted Lila.

A plank was set up over the pit; Lila glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw R2-D2 appear at a window of Jabba's ship. "You have seniority," she informed Luke. "Jedi first!" She smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, I _do_ have seniority, and you better remember it."

"Is this really the time?" asked Han.

Both Luke and Lila glanced at him momentarily. "Of course not."

Luke stepped onto the plank. V-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y. In Lila's opinion he was being overdramatic—but that was Luke for you.

And Luke jumped off. Han blinked very quickly several times before he realized that Luke had grabbed onto the board and was now fighting it out with the guards. He shook his head quickly and joined the fight.

"A little slow on the uptake, aren't we, dearie?" yelled Lila.

"Shut up!" Han responded.

Lila glanced over at Jabba's ship and saw Leia battling the giant slug himself.

"Whoa! Help!" Lando screamed. One of the Sarlaac's tentacles had grabbed his ankle and was trying to drag him off the ship; Lando was clutching a rope dangling off the edge.

At that moment Boba Fett came jet-packing down to attack Luke, who promptly sliced his gun in half. While Luke was momentarily distracted, Fett fired a cable, which wrapped around Luke, restricting his movement, who then cut it away from himself.

Chewie was directing Han towards a spear that had been dropped by a dead guard, when the Wookiee happened to mention that Boba Fett was there.

"Boba Fett? Where?" yelled Han. Lila booted the bounty hunter off the ship and into the Sarlaac. "Gone," answered the girl. Han rolled his eyes, guessing what had happened, and lowered the spear down towards Lando. "Lando, grab it!"

"Lower it!"

"I'm trying!"

Lila looked around and noticed that Luke was no longer with them; he had jumped to Jabba's ship and was continuing the fight there. "You know what Han, why don't you give that job to someone who can see." Han shrugged and handed over the spear.

Lila leaned over the edge. "Hi," she said. Lando gave her an exasperated look. "Just lower the spear, would you?"

A hit from Jabba's ship caused the skiff to shake; Lando lost his grip and fell to the sand pit. Lila screamed. Only by staying very still could Lando manage to avoid falling down into the pit; however, this meant that each time he tried to reach for the, he fell a little bit farther.

"Okay, grab the spear!" shouted Lila. Lando suddenly gave a strangled yell. The Sarlaac had extended a tentacle and grabbed Lando's leg. Lila looked around for a gun—her lightsaber couldn't reach that far.

Unfortunately, Han already had possession of a gun, and was now shooting in Lando's general direction, who squirmed like crazy to avoid the shots.

"No, wait!" Lando yelled at Han. "I thought you were blind!"

"Uh…I can see a lot better now! Don't move!" By some miracle, Han was able to shoot the tentacle dead-on. Lila hauled Lando back onto the ship, and then jumped onto Jabba's ship. The giant slug was dead, thanks to Leia, and Luke was fighting off laser blasts with hi lightsaber. Lila joined the fight for a minute.

However, she then noticed a rather large gun, and she also noticed the engines, and the prospect was just too good to let go of.

"Luke, Leia, get off!" The two looked up, took the hint, and jumped ship. Lila pointed the gun at the engines. "And Lila said, let there be light," she muttered, and let fly.

The ship exploded. Lila dived off and used the Force to land on the other ship, where everyone else was.

"Nice explosion," said Han. "And I can't even _see._"

Lila rolled her eyes. "Don't forget to pick u the droids," she said, gesturing to the spot where Threepio and R2-D2 had fallen.

**That was fun. I liked this chapter, even though the rest of you probably think it was crap (in truth, so do I). But I had fun writing it.**

**DragonRider2000: Thank you!!**

**WWMTgirl: Seriously though, Luke ****is**** way too polite.**

**Draye: Shut up, it was canceled for the rain.**

**Fictionfrek101: No, I totally get it. I hated that chapter; I really had no idea what I was doing. I'm embarrassed when I go back and look at it.**

**Yeah….see you all…eventually…I swear, I WILL TRY TO BE QUICKER! But I really have no idea when I'll update.**

**And I KNOW the Torah doesn't exist in the Star Wars galaxy. But I love that line.**


	5. He Has SISTERS!

**Over a month...well, at least it's better than some of my previous update lengths.**

**Has this ever happened to anyone else? I recently went back and read all my old stuff, like the first two in this series, and the first chapters of other stories, and to me it just looks like utter ****crap.****No joke, some of it makes me cringe at how naive and immature I was as a writer.**

**Disclaimer: I wonder what would happen if I said I DID own Star ****Wars.**** I highly doubt anyone would arrest me.**

_Chapter 5: __He Has SISTERS!_

Lila kneeled next to Luke in a small, desolate hut on the swamp planet of Dagobah.

Master Yoda was dying. And all Lila could think about were all the times she had ignored the Jedi Code.

"Soon I will rest. Yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have," said Yoda.

"Master Yoda, you can't die," protested Luke.

"If you die, there would be no one to teach me," said Lila.

"A teacher, you need not. A Padawan learner you are no longer." Lila bowed her head.

Luke had a troubled expression. "Master Yoda, is Darth Vader my father?"

Lila tensed. Yoda's face was sad and weary. "Rest I need. Yes, rest."

"I must know."

"Your father, he is. Told you, did he? Unexpected, this is, and unfortunate." Yoda smiled sadly.

Luke furrowed his brow. "Unfortunate that I know the truth?"

Yoda sighed. "Unfortunate that you rushed to face him, that incomplete was your training! Not ready, you were. Also unfortunate that secrets you keep from your friends!" This last was directed to Lila.

Luke looked at her. "Does this have to do with what Vader said?"

"I'll tell you later," Lila hushed him. "Let Master Yoda speak."

"Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Lila cringed at the utter amount of anger, fear, and aggression she had displayed over the past few years. _What's my destiny, then?_

"Lila...Luke...Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will. When gone I am... the last of the Jedi you will be." Yoda was having trouble breathing now. "Luke...the Force runs strong in your family...pass on what you have learned...There is...another...Skywalker."

And Master Yoda died.

"That's depressing," muttered Lila as she and Luke walked outside.

Luke sat down on a log. Lila paced the area. A ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared. "Yoda will always be with you."

Lila whipped her head around, and then stared at the ground. Luke looked up glumly. "Why didn't you tell me? You said Vader betrayed and murdered my father!"

"Maybe he didn't have the time? I mean, you only knew each other for, what, two days?" suggested Lila.

"Luke, your father was taken in by the Dark Side. He stopped being Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader, and when that happened, the man who was your father was destroyed," said Obi-Wan, giving Lila a strange look. "So what I said was true...from a certain point of view."

"A certain _point of view!_" scoffed Luke.

"That sounds messed up, even to me," said Lila.

"You two need to learn that a very large amount of what we believe depends on our point of view," admonished Obi-Wan. He sighed. "I'm sorry for not telling you; I didn't think you were ready for the knowledge. I don't blame you for being angry. If I was wrong, it won't have been the first time."

"Come on, Master," said Lila playfully. "You know how touchy people can be after finding out their father screwed up the galaxy!"

"Anakin was a good friend. When I first knew him, he was already a great pilot, but I was amazed how strongly the Force flowed within him. I thought that maybe I could teach him as well as Yoda; I was wrong," declared Obi-Wan.

_Now_ Luke was interested. "There is still good in him," he insisted.

Lila snorted. "No, there isn't," she said, recalling her short stay on an Imperial Stardestroyer six months ago. "There isn't good in him."

Obi-Wan had to agree. "He's more machine now than man," he said sadly, "twisted and evil."

"I can't do it, Ben," Luke said, shaking his head.

"You want me to do it for you?" asked Lila. Obi-Wan cut her off. "You cannot escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again."

"I can't kill my own father!"

"Again, want me to do it?" suggested Lila. Again, nobody listened to her.

"Then the emperor has already won," said Obi-Wan. "You were our only hope."

Luke paused, then changed the subject. "Yoda spoke of another."

"Mm. Two others, actually. He spoke of your sisters."

"But I have no sisters!" pretested Luke. Obi-Wan sighed again. "To protect you from the emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The emperor knew, as I did, that if Anakin had any children, they would be a threat to him. And that is the reason why your sisters remain safely anonymous."

"...Leia! Leia's my sister?" exclaimed Luke.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Your insight serves you well."

"But I have two sisters..." Luke looked at Lila. She grinned a slightly mischievous grin. "Lila?!"

She nodded. "And that's a point away from your side, because YOU have just been revealed to have been falling in love with your SISTER. Leia. Is. Off. Limits."

Obi-Wan took the politer route. "Bury your feelings, Luke, They could be made to serve the emperor."

Luke nodded. "I can't believe YOU'RE my sister," he grumbled as he and Lila made their way back to the ships.

"Oh yes, we're certainly turning out to be one big happy family already!" said Lila brightly.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

Han stared at Lando. "Wow, a general?"

Lando laughed. "Someone must have told them about my maneuver at the Battle of Tanaab."

"Well don't look at me, I just said you were a fair pilot—I didn't know they were looking for someone to _lead_ this crazy attack!" said Han.

Lando shrugged. "I'm just surprised they didn't ask you."

"Well who said they didn't? But I ain't crazy," muttered Han, sitting down for the briefing. "You're supposed to be the respectable one."

Mon Mothma began to speak. "The emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come. The data brought by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapons on the new Death Star are not yet operational. With the fleet spread out in an effort to engage us, the station is virtually unprotected. Most importantly," she continued, "the emperor himself will be personally overseeing the final stages of construction." Mon Mothma paused. "Many Bothans died to give us this information."

A squid-like person, Admiral Ackbar, stepped forward. "You can see here that the Death Star is orbiting the forest moon of Endor," he said, gesturing to a large holographic image in the center of the room. "Although the weapons are not operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, generated on the nearby moon."

The picture changed to show a small yellow circle protecting the red battle station. Ackbar continued. "The shield must be deactivated for any attack to succeed. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will make a perimeter while the main fighters will fly into the main stricture and attempt to knock out the main reactor." The holograph shut off. "General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack."

"Good luck," stated Han. "You're gonna need it."

A man named General Madine spoke. "We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle. Disguised as a cargo ship and using a secret imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon and turn off the generator."

"Wonder who they found to pull that off," said Leia, looking as though that person could not have done any stupider thing.

"General Solo, is your team assembled?" asked Madine. Leia whacked her forehead with her hand. Han ignored her. "My team is ready, but I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

Chewie said something. Han looked affronted. "Well, it's gonna be rough, I didn't want to speak for you!" Chewbacca whined. Han looked back at Madine. "Well, there's one."

Leia rolled her eyes. "General, count me in."

"We're coming too," announced Lila as she and Luke entered the room. Leia hugged him and Lila gagged. Seeing that he looked troubled she asked him what was wrong. "Ask him again later," Lila advised.

"Luke, Lila," said Han by way of greeting. "How was swampland?" Lando asked Lila. She whacked him. A gentleman like you could never have withstood the dirt," she teased. "WHY are you so tall?" she demanded, referring to Lando being five inches taller than her.

"Because I'm normal," he retorted. Lila smiled sweetly and stepped on the edge of his foot, right on a pressure point. Han broke them up.

"I need Lando for something," he said, dragging his friend to the hangar. "I want you to take her," he said, gesturing at the Millennium Falcon. "I mean it, take her! You need all the help you can get, she's the fastest ship in the fleet!"

Lando laughed. "All right, old buddy. No, I know what she means to you! I'll take good care of her. She won't get a scratch," he assured Han.

"Like hell she won't, if your flying is anything like his," called Lila, passing through.

Han walked off, then he turned back. "I got your promise, right? Not a scratch..."

"Would you get going, you old pirate?" Lando chuckled.

"Good luck," emphasized Han.

**Doo dee doo...I can't wait to see how Lila's going to mess up the part where Luke tells Leia.**

**Up until now I've been using SimplyScripts as my script source, until I realized that that website does not have a copy of the shooting script, only the drafts. So now I watch the movie on watch(dash)movies(dot)net. Really, between the online script I had and the actual movie, there are some glaring discrepancies.**

**WWMTgirl: well, who ELSE are you supposed to ship? Luke/Chewie?**

**Fictionfrek101: Oh, hells yes! He needs to toughen up and stop being such a pansy and that, my friend, is but one of Lila's many goals.**


	6. On Pessimism

**I'm back, baby. With a brand new chapter for the few people still reading this story.**

**Fanfiction ruins things for me. I don't remember the last time I watched a SW movie for fun, instead of for writing purposes. On the other hand, every time I do watch them I have Lila's dialogue running through my head and I remember all the crazy plot holes I found while writing this. (It doesn't help that I hate ****Return of the Jedi**** anyway.)**

**Disclaimer: You know what? Just for the hell of it—yes, I own Star Wars. I came up with the concept and my name is George Lucas. Yeah, I don't think so.**

_Chapter 6: On Pessimism_

"Why are the cockpits in these damn things so small?" muttered Lila as she, Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia squished themselves together.

Han didn't hear her; he was too busy staring at the _Falcon._ "Hey, you awake?" said Leia, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling. Like I'm never going to see her again," replied Han.

"With that kind of pessimism, you won't ever see her again," said Lila cheerfully. "Calm down. It'll either be you or Lando that screws up, which means it'll definitely be you. Don't screw up and you'll see your ship again."

Han rolled his eyes. "Right. Chewie! Let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready everybody?"

"All set," replied Luke.

"Here we go again," murmured Threepio. The shuttle took off. "Alright, hang on," said Han as they jumped into hyperspace.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

"Return to the command ship and await my orders," commanded the Emperor.

"Yes, my Master," responded Vader. "My apprentice, Darth Eris, wishes to inform you that there has been no attack on the shield generator as of yet, but she senses one may come soon. If there is an attack, she says she has everything under control."

"Good. There is a small chance some Bothans escaped, so the Rebellion may have garnered intelligence on how the new Death Star is protected. If an attack is made, she knows what to do."

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

"If they don't go for this we're going to have to get out of here pretty quick, Chewie," muttered Han. Chewbacca groaned.

"We have you on our screen, please identify," came the voice of an Imperial officer.

"Shuttle _Tyderium_, requesting deactivation of the deflector shield," said Han.

"Why do you sound so resigned when you say that?" wondered Lila. "I'm the pessimist around here, not you."

"Shush," whispered Luke.

They flew closer to the Stardestroyer. "Shuttle _Tyderium_, transmit the clearance code for shield passage."

"Transmission commencing," replied Han, sounding even more resigned to his fate than he did before.

"Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid," said Leia.

"With our luck it won't be," muttered Lila. _We are so screwed._

"Why do you say things like that?" asked Leia.

"It'll work," Han assured them. "It'll work."

_Yeah, it better,_ thought Lila. _Or else we're all headed the right way for death by asphyxiation._

"Vader's on that ship," said Luke suddenly.

_Oh, damn. _"He's right," Lila informed them.

"Now don't get jittery, you two. There are a lot of command ships," said Han.

"Yeah, and Vader's on this one," insisted Lila.

"Probably not," dismissed Han. "Keep your distance though, Chewie. But don't _look_ like you're keeping your distance." Chewie growled something. "I don't know, fly casual!" said an aggravated Han.

"Shuttle _Tyderium!_ What is your cargo and destination?"

"Crap," muttered Lila. Han ignored her. "Parts and technical crew to the forest moon."

"I'm endangering the mission, I shouldn't have come," murmured Luke. Lila whapped him on the head. "You're only endangering us if you think you're endangering us, and then you'll do something stupid that _will_ endanger us. So stop thinking that way!"

"It's your imagination, kid," Han said. "Come on; let's try to keep a little optimism!"

Lila rolled her eyes. "This coming from the guy who thought he was never going to see his ship again."

"Shuttle _Tyderium!_ Deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Continue your present course."

"I told you it was gonna work," bragged Han.

_Why did Vader let us go?_ wondered Lila. _He knew we were Rebels. I mean, his two extremely Force-sensitive children are on board, as well as his not-quite-as-Force-sensitive-but-a-little-bit other child!_

_Oh God._ "I would like to take this moment to inform everyone that we are walking straight into a trap."

"How do you know?" said Leia. "They accepted our code!"

Lila snorted. "Please. We couldn't be more conspicuous if we tried. Someone on that command ship—probably Vader—knows we're Rebels, and why would he let us go if there wasn't a trap set up?"

"For the last time, Vader is NOT on that ship!" sighed Han. "And even if he was—which he isn't—how would he know we aren't really bringing parts and technical crew to Endor?"

"Han still doesn't believe in the Force," Luke muttered to Lila.

"Tsk tsk, a nonbeliever," admonished Lila. "Five and a half years hanging around Luke and I and you're still not convinced? What could possibly be wrong with you?"

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

"I'm waiting, Lila," whispered Darth Eris on Endor. "You're smart, you'll figure out the trap--but you're not smart enough to avoid it. You'll come anyway. And when you do, I'll be waiting."

**So ends chapter 6, with a joyous announcement:**

**HAPPY TWO YEARS, SILVER BLADE TRILOGY! For some reason, it feels much longer than that...I like this story, I really do. Lila's always been my favorite of my OCs. I hope other people like this story too...otherwise there's no point writing it now, is there?**

**WWMTgirl: That...disgusts me more than a little. But I'm glad you like Lila!**

**fictionfrek101: Well, Lila isn't a very sweet person. Between the droids and Dagobah is really just flying there...not much for me to work with. Glad you liked the chapter!**

**READ, PLEASE: Due to the fact that I have 7 stories requiring constant updates, and the fact that my first year of high school is coming to a close and I have finals and all that crap, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a new chapter before camp (I'll try, though). So, in case I don't, hear this: I'm leaving for camp on June 28, and I'll be gone all summer. So, in case I don't make another update, don't expect anything new until mid-August through September.**


	7. Saved By The Robot

**Happy Birthday to me…your review will be counted as a present, if you wish.**

**Disclaimer: haha. Surely you kid?**

_Chapter 7: Saved By The Robot_

The Rebel team walked through the forest, keeping as quiet as they could. Luke, Leia, Han, Lila and Chewie were at the front.

"I told you it was dangerous here," complained Threepio.

"It'll get a lot more dangerous if your talking gets us discovered!" hissed Lila.

The group stopped as a stormtrooper scouting party came into view. "Should we try going around them?" asked Leia.

"It'll take time," said Luke.

Lila shook her head. "The attack on the Death Star isn't until tomorrow. We'll still have plenty of time to get to the shield generator if we go around them."

"Yeah, and this whole party'll be for nothing if the see us," muttered Han. "Chewie and I'll take care of this, you stay here."

"Quietly, there might be more of them out there!" whispered Luke.

Han shrugged and smiled. "Hey, it's me!"

"We're all doomed," sighed Lila. Luke and Leia exchanged a glance.

Han and Chewie managed to knock out one and get three feet behind the other before Han made the world's most obvious mistake—he stepped on a twig.

Lila smacked her forehead. The stormtrooper sent his partner off for help. "Great, let's go!" said Luke as Chewie shot down the messenger.

"Over there, two more of them!" shouted Leia as two more stormtroopers took off on speedbikes. Leia herself hopped onto a spare bike.

"I see them—wait, Leia!" yelled Luke, taking the other bike.

Han and Lila stared at each other. "Are they insane?" asked Lila mildly. _Recklessness must run in the family._

"It's a definite possibility," agreed Han.

"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"Now," said Han, "we wait."

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

After rejoining the rest of the group and explaining that two of their number had gone on a little detour, they sent out scouts ("If you find either of them dead, tell us. If not, keep looking," said Lila) and sat down to wait.

Despite the odd skeptical glance from Han, Lila was meditating. There was the presence of the Dark Side on this moon, and she wanted to know where it was and/or who it was. Closing her eyes she reached out with the Force.

_Big surprise. They're at the shield generator._ _Whoops, better not go too deep. They might sense me…oh dear. It would be Eris._

_Hello Lila,_ said Darth Eris.

_Well good afternoon to you too,_ responded Lila, quickly manipulating the Force to keep her adversary from discovering her location. _How go things at the shield generator?_

_Wonderfully. The Emperor saw fit to grant us more than enough soldiers to wipe out your pathetic team._

_Aren't we feeling confident today,_ said Lila snidely. _You know you'll have to deal with me, right?_

_You? Ha!_ answered Eris. _I could kill you within a minute._

_You say that now, but—_ Lila paused. _So sorry, gotta go._ She broke off the conversation and stood up. "Here comes Luke."

The erstwhile Jedi jogged into the clearing.

"Where's Leia?" demanded Han and Lila at the same time.

"What, she didn't come back?" Luke asked. Lila groaned.

"We thought she was with you," said Han.

Luke frowned. "We got separated. We better go look for her!"

Han sighed, and signaled to another Rebel. "Take your squad ahead, we'll meet you at the shield generator."

"This is all your fault," Lila muttered to Luke as they walked.

"What?! Why is it my—" he stopped. "You know what, whatever. Just because you like to complain does not make it my fault."

"Are you accusing me of being whiny?" inquired Lila. "Mister Oh-no-my-daddy's-evil-why-didn't-you-tell-me-Ben-I'm-so-angsty?"

"I had every right to be angry with him for not telling me!" Luke objected.

"Oh, please," snorted Lila. "He raised me and didn't tell me until I was eighteen. You knew him for two days. What makes you think you had more right to know than I did? Vader is my father too, you know!" she snapped. "What in the Force makes you think you deserved to know about it before I did?"

"I…" Luke stammered. "When I was angry at Ben I didn't know you were related to me."

"So? That still doesn't excuse the fact that you knew him for exactly 2 days. What, you want an old man who—let's face it—you barely know to tell you your father caused the downfall of all that was good?" Lila sighed. "Look, you ended up finding out anyway, so just let it go. Jedi are supposed to let go of their anger."

"And who was it that said the Jedi Code was in shambles, so it didn't matter if you fell in love with Lando?" teased Luke.

Lila blinked, and looked as if she was about to say something but thought better of it. "Shut up."

"I don't even know what you're talking about, but _both_ of you need to shut up before someone hears us!" said one of their team in an aggravated tone of voice.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Lila. As Luke stopped to pick something large and round off the ground, Han called them over to look at something.

That something was a wrecked speedbike. Luke quickly confirmed it wasn't his., and the three of them stood and looked at each other. "Well, there's no body, she's probably still alive," said Lila.

Luke tossed Leia's helmet at Han. "I hope she's all right," he said, before the Wookiee decided to run into the woods.

"I don't get it," said Lila as they followed Chewie to a dead animal propped up on a stick.

"It's just a dead animal," said Han as if he didn't get it either. "Come on Chewie, get away from—"

As one the entire group was hoisted into the air in a large rope net. "Way to go Chewie, always thinking with your stomach."

"Will you take it easy? Let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing!" yelled Luke. "Han, can you reach my lightsaber?"

"Yeah...sure…" Han grabbed around the side of the net, causing it to swing back and forth. Lila meanwhile was twisting her arm behind her back in a painful attempt to reach her own lightsaber. Before anyone's weapons could be reached, however, R2 activated a saw and cut the net down.

"Always saved by the robot," commented Lila. "This is just getting embarrassing."

At that moment, in what could have possibly been the weirdest situation Lila had ever been in, what looked to be a tribe of small, furry animals bearing spears surrounded them, chanting a duo-syllabic chant in unison.

**Hey, you **_**know**_** I had to leave it on a cliffhanger with the Ewoks.**

**fictionfrek101: oh, thank you!**

**Robert1000: I'll try from now on, sorry and thank you!**

**Remember: birthday presents are good! Review!**


	8. They Would Be Carnivores

**Yo. I'm going to give you the exact same notice that I'm giving all my stories. **

**I know by now, and you should know by now, that I will never ever meet a deadline. Nor will I ever update before I'm ready with a chapter I'm comfortable with just so that I can say 'I updated quickly!' Please, stop nagging me about it; it won't do you any good. I'll update this story when I'm written a chapter and am fully happy with it, and if that takes a few months, so be it. If I lose some readers that way, then that's just too bad, but I'm not writing this for a review count; I'm writing this for my own satisfaction.**

**Disclaimer: Aahahahah! Ahahaha! Surely you jest!**

_Chapter 8: They WOULD Be Carnivores_

"This…is definitely weird," stated Lila.

Han sat up, and one of the…whatever they were pointed a spear at him. "Hey, point that somewhere else!" he said, pushing it out of the way. The creatures argued and then the spear was right back in front of Han's nose. He grabbed his blaster, but Luke stopped him.

"Don't, it'll be alright," said Luke.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Lila.

"Oh, my head!" cried Threepio, sitting up. The creatures immediately stared at him and began bowing and chanting.

Han, Luke and Lila started at each other. Lila had the feeling Han at least was holding back the urge not to laugh, as was she. Because really, anything that worshipped C-3PO was definitely out of whack. It didn't help that the golden robot began conversing with them in what appeared to be their own language.

"Do you understand what they're saying?" asked Luke uncertainly.

"Oh, yes, Master Luke! Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of communi—"

"What are you telling them?" interrupted Han.

"'Hello,' I think," answered the protocol droid.

"You think?" asked Lila.

"I could be mistaken. They're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I'm some sort of god!"

Silence. Lila waited for someone to say he was joking, but no one said anything. Luke was at this point definitely holding back a smile.

Han rolled his eyes. "Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?" he asked in a fake pleasant voice.

"I beg your pardon, but that just wouldn't be proper. It's against my programming to impersonate a deity!" protested C-3PO. Han rolled his eyes and Luke smirked.

"Wait, _what?_" asked Lila.

I said that my programming specifically does not permit me to—"

"Your programming."

Luke glanced at her. "Lila, where are you going with this?"

"Nowhere, I'm just pointing out the absurdity of this! There is no logical reason for someone to build a robot and then think, 'ooh, better make sure he can't be a god!'" ranted Lila.

"So?"

Lila sighed in frustration. "SO, something must have happened to make someone realize they had to do that!" She eyes Threepio speculatively. "Threepio, have you ever impersonated a god?"

Luke raised his eyebrows. "By that logic, Threepio knowing how to understand these creatures is only possible if he's been here before."

"Hey, you never know," muttered Han.

"Someone obviously wanted to make sure he wouldn't try to take over humanity!" continued Luke.

"Look, this whole thing is ridiculous," said Han, standing up. The Ewoks—so identified by Threepio—immediately surrounded him in a ring of spears. "Um…my mistake."

"This is embarrassing," stated Lila as they were tied to sticks and carried off through the forest. "We still need to find Leia."

"I don't understand why Luke won't let us fight back," added Han.

Lila shook her head. "It's not like they're trying to hurt us or anything, and 3PO specifically said he couldn't tell them what to do."

"Not…trying to hurt us," said Han as they reached some sort of treetop village. An Ewok approached him with a torch. "Luke, they're trying to burn us alive! I have a really bad feeling about this."

Threepio was still conversing with what appeared to be their leader. "What did he say?" demanded Lila.

"I'm rather embarrassed, but it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor!"

"Doesn't it just figure that the cute teddy bears are carnivorous?" muttered Lila. Chewie growled at the offending creatures.

"Leia!" said Luke suddenly.

"Leia?" echoed Han.

Leia was there for some reason, with her hair down and wearing a dress. As she tried to approach the rest of them, she was stopped by the Ewoks. "But these are my friends!" she protested. "Threepio, tell them they must be set free!"

"We tried that," Lila informed her. Threepio argued with the Ewoks some more…and more of them suddenly started piling wood under their captives. "Somehow I get the feeling that didn't help us very much," commented Han.

Luke decided it was time for him to speak up. "Threepio, tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll get angry and use your magic!"

"You're NOT going to do what I think you are…" wondered Lila. "Oh wow, you are."

"But Master Luke, I don't have any magic!"

"Just do it."

After the robot made some sort of announcement (Lila could only hope he'd done as Luke said), the Ewoks chattered for a bit, discussing this new development. This apparently didn't help either, as they now brought torches in large numbers. _Oh boy, _thought Lila, who could sense Luke drawing on the Force. _Hmm…oh, he's the Jedi master; I'll let him do it._ And C-3PO was lifted into the air, shouting objections all the way.

"Oh, shame on you, scaring all the little fuzzy animals!" said Lila in fake reproach. It seemed to do the trick, however, and when 3PO landed again they were immediately freed. Leia ran up to them, kissed Han and hugged Luke and Lila, and R2 began zapping random Ewoks who dared approach him.

"That wasn't strange in the least," declared Han as they were lead to the village proper for Story Time with C-3PO. The golden robot began entertaining the Ewoks with what appeared to be the story of everything that had happened since Artoo and Threepio came into Luke's possession.

"This is extremely surreal," said Luke.

"Mmhmm. The sound effects are a nice touch, though," noted Lila as Threepio imitated Darth Vader's breathing, followed by the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber battle. "Hey, when are you going to tell Han and Leia about the you-know-what? And I _know_ you know what."

Luke massaged his forehead with one hand. "I honestly hadn't thought about that."

"Puts that kiss on Hoth in an entirely different light, doesn't it?" asked Lila wickedly. Luke pulled a face.

"You were the only one who knew about anything back then! But thank you very much for effectively disgusting me for the rest of the night."

Lila grinned. "I'm just saying, you should tell someone soon." By this point Threepio seemed to have finished his tale, and the Ewoks were whispering madly to one another. Eventually their leader came forward and said…something in their language.

"What are they saying?" whispered Han to Leia.

"I don't know…" she replied nervously.

"Wonderful!" announced Threepio. "We are now part of the tribe!" And they were assaulted by the Ewoks.

"Just what I always wanted…" muttered Han as he was pulled into several hugs. Luke glanced at the scene around him and quickly left the hut, soon followed by Leia. Han was informed by Threepio that they would be shown the quickest way to the shield generator the next morning. Lila took the hint and got on the comlink with the rest of their team, who no doubt had been wandering the forest searching for them.

"Commander Kenobi! Where have you been?" came the frantic voice. Lila winced.

"Nothing happened, we're all safe, and we found Princess Leia, all that good stuff."

"But where _are_ you?"

"We were captured by Ewoks who worshipped Threepio and wanted to eat us…" Lila paused to consider how crazy she sounded. "You know what, I'm just gonna give this to General Solo and let him explain it." She pushed the comlink at Han and ran to find Luke and Leia.

She found them talking on one of the bridges outside. "It's you, Leia," Luke was saying. "You and Lila. You're my sisters."

Leia looked very confused, but not at Luke's news. "I know…somehow…I've always known."

Lila winced as she tripped over her own feet and fell, loudly. "Is this a bad time?"

Leia looked at her strangely, then back at Luke. "Does Lila, um, does she know?"

"About the triplets thing? Yeah, I knew before he did," replied Lila. "Puts the kiss on Hoth in an entirely different light, huh?"

A very strange spasm crossed Leia's face, and Luke sighed. "Thank you for ruining the moment, Lila."

"What moment?" Lila scoffed. "You're about to go get killed by Vader—don't give me that look, I know you," she said as Luke gave her a questioning glance. "You think you have to face him out of some misplaced sense of honor and justice and because you think you can save him."

"I know there is good in him!" Luke insisted.

"Don't give me that. Remember that one time where I got captured and you all thought I was dead?" Lila raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, he knew I was his daughter; didn't stop him from putting me in a coma."

Luke sighed. "Look, you know I have to do this."

"What? No!" objected Leia, not very much alarmed. "Go away, far away! If he can feel your presence then leave this place!"

Luke was adamant. "He won't turn me over to the Emperor; I can turn him back to the good side."

Lila had had enough. "Listen to me! Both of you!" she exploded. "You are going to die. Vader is going to hand you straight to the Emperor and offer you a chance to work with him and you will refuse and HE WILL KILL YOU. You're insane. Insane! There is no good in him! He can't be brought back! Do you have some kind of death wish?" she demanded furiously.

"I have to try," Luke said quietly.

"You have to die too, apparently!" Lila stormed off.

"That went well," murmured Leia. "Please be careful, Luke."

Luke kissed her on the cheek and left.

**Yes, Lila does not like the idea of redemption for Darth Vader. She does not like him. Actually, Luke is the only one who does, and Lila expresses her disagreement a little more vocally than others.**

**Robert1000: Thank you!**

**fictionfrek101: Yup, he's a whiny young adult with magical powers…He's Harry Potter, that's who he is!**

**swpaintergal: What's life without a little erraticness?**

**a bunch of random letters: Thank you so very much!**

**naria lilison: I'm working on it, remain calm!**

**See you…whenever. Happy New Year.**


	9. The Calm Before the Storm

**SHUT. UP.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Star Wars, my fanfiction wouldn't be scribbled in notebooks as opposed to my taking actual **_**notes**_** in the weeks before finals.**

_Chapter 9: The Calm Before The Storm_

"I think you should give her a chance to explain herself," said Lila mildly. "I mean, maybe you misinterpreted. Or something…"

"Hey, if she chose Luke, it's got nothing to do with me," said Han stiffly. "Let them do whatever they want, I don't care. None of my business."

Lila frowned. "Didn't Leia tell me you two made out on the _Falcon_? And haven't you two been together since Jabba?"

"It's not my issue if she chose him," Han insisted. "Just leave it alone."

Shaking her head, Lila wandered off back to the main Ewok village, wondering why nobody had told Han the news yet, and especially why she hadn't just then. "I hope they don't make the mission awkward for the rest of us," she said to a passing R2, ignoring his confused beeps in response.

It was early morning, and the pre-dawn light filtered through the trees. Passing other members of the strike team, Lila ignored all around her, choosing instead to spend the time in quiet contemplation to prepare for the coming battles.

Walking along a platform, Lila reached a tree that was higher than the rest and gave a nice view. Lila gazed out into the forest. Dew evaporated around her; the sun was rising.

_And what is it rising on?_ she wondered. _A day of victory and defeat…whose?_ She cast her mind outward, reassuring herself that her friends were still with her. There was Han, checking and rechecking his weaponry. There was Leia, doing the same, but distractedly. Chewbacca was warding off a group of Ewoks that wanted to be his friends, while attempting to check his crossbow. Lila laughed silently to herself.

There was the Death Star Mark II, visible from the surface of Endor. Lila turned her musings skyward, towards Lando, somewhere in space. In a way, his mission was far more dangerous than hers. As long as it didn't go to his head, fine. This was Lando, after all: if it hadn't gone to his head, it meant he was already dead. The thought sobered Lila up quickly. _I shouldn't think like that, even to myself._

_I wonder if he's thinking of me._ Lila smiled again. Lando was a good man, even if he had sold them out on Bespin; Lila wasn't picky. _Maybe if Luke reorganizes the Jedi Order, I'll talk him into allowing marriages. Lila Calrissian has a ring to it._ Chuckling, Lila realized she sounded like the local girls on Tatooine, gossiping about their boyfriends.

The forest teemed with life, but was quieter at dawn; nocturnal creatures were settling down, everything else was waking up. Lila savored the peace for what she knew might very well be her last morning. She inhaled, filling her lungs with clean, pure air. Air that _wasn't_ tainted with smoke from exploding computer workstations, as it hopefully soon would be.

_I'm sure Luke and I can handle this. He had his training from Master Yoda himself, after all. And I can take anything they throw at me._ Lila stretched her arms behind her back, and froze suddenly. She furrowed her brow and searched with her mind for Luke. . _Oh, no no no…_ Lila took off at a run for the village proper.

"Hey—Leia—where's Luke?" she asked breathlessly. Leia looked at her curiously and worriedly.

"I haven't seen him since last night," said Leia. "Lila, he talked about finding Vader, and going to confront him…"

Lila sighed. "Yeah, I know. The idiot," she muttered. "Alright. Be back in five." She ran off again, sincerely hoping her erstwhile brother wasn't doing what she suspected he might be.

She spotted him on the forest floor, heading away from the Ewok village, in the direction of the shield generator. Lila climbed down the nearest ladder as quickly as she could, nearly twisting her ankle in the process. "Hey, Luke!"

Luke stopped and waited for her to catch up. Lila looked him over with a critical eye; he carried nothing but the lightsaber at his side.

She sighed again, this time somewhat forlornly. "Luke, what are you doing? No, don't answer that: I know what you're doing. Luke, _why_ are you going to confront Vader?"

"I know I can get through to him, Lila. I _have_ to." Luke's voice was tired, and somewhat final.

Lila shook her head. "I can't believe that. I'm sorry, I just can't. I know you want to believe in him; I get that. But what happens when you're proven wrong?"

Luke gazed at the sky. "I'd rather we not have this argument again. I know you don't believe in him, but I do. You don't have to agree with me." He met her eyes solidly. "Please understand that this is something I have to do." And Lila understood.

This wasn't Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, savior of the Rebellion trying to save another lost soul. Luke wasn't trying to be a hero by redeeming Darth Vader. When Luke said he had to, he was doing it for himself. Everything Vader or the Emperor had ever said about him joining the Dark Side…Luke needed to prove that someone could be brought back from the darkness. He needed to know that he wouldn't follow the same path as his father.

"I understand, but…" Lila whispered. "Please, Luke. You can't save everyone. We need you here."

"You're a Jedi too, aren't you?" asked Luke with raised eyebrows. "You can do anything I can. You can fight Darth Eris, you can play your part in freeing the galaxy. You don't need me to always be by your side."

_No, Luke. You can do so much more than I._ "May the Force be with you."

"And you."

Lila watched him walk away, her face emotionless. She shook her head again, and slowly trudged back to the ladder she had descended from. Looking up at it moodily, Lila brushed some stray hairs out of her face and jumped up to about five rungs down from the platform.

"Well where is he?" asked Leia, once Lila had returned. "Did you find him?"

"He left," murmured Lila, not meeting her sister's eyes. "Went off on his stupid mission to try and save a monster…" She couldn't continue. "Stupid" was muttered once more, and then Lila went off to go check her things.

Lightsaber, communicator, blaster for just in case…that was all she needed, really. What were the others taking? Lila couldn't remember the packing list that Han had proposed last night. Lila rolled a cyanide pill between her fingers for a few seconds, before putting it back with the rest of her unneeded luggage. She had a lightsaber; as always, she would live by it or be killed by one. Except if she chose to run, because thinking back on it now, Lila realized that tended to happen a lot.

Well, not this time. Somehow, Luke had become the better Jedi, and he wasn't here now. It was Lila's turn to show exactly which one had been trained practically from birth. _You're a Jedi too, aren't you?…_ That stung. Well, alright_. Maybe I have been relying on him too much._

She ignited her lightsaber. The meter-long silver beam of light snapped into existence, as it always did. Lila smiled faintly; not for nothing had she spent nearly a standard month building it, her trusted weapon. She spun it around once, and turned it off, to be placed at her side once more.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Han came up from behind. "Time to go, come on!"

"Yeah, wait, hold on a second." Lila fumbled to holster her blaster and turn on her communicator, and then she was ready.

"Come on, Lila," Leia reprimanded. "You don't want to hold us up, no?"

"No, sorry," Lila answered with her usual lack of grace. "I'm ready now, let's go."

* * *

**This one was a little more introspective and less action-oriented, and there's a reason for that. See, I will be giving you a new chapter before the end of June, and the action is slightly easier for me to write in a hurry. (That's not a resolution, it's a promise.)**

**DragonRider2000: I know, I try…sometimes I take a bit long, but I do try.**

**totallyNsane: She is! He's just too Zen in this movie, someone needs to snap him out of it.**


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